Norwegian Cruise Line Ship Dawn Refloated And Anchored In Bermuda After Malfunction

The Norwegian Cruise Line ship 'Norwegian Dawn' departs the Royal Naval Dockyard near the port of Hamilton, Bermuda, in this file photo taken on July 16, 2013. Photo: Reuters/Gary Cameron

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship named Dawn ran aground on a reef Tuesday after leaving Bermuda’s Kings’ Wharf port when a “malfunction” in its steering wheel caused it to sail slightly off course. The cruise, with over 3,500 people on board, is believed to have lost power briefly.

The company later said that the vessel's power has been restored and the cruise has been refloated.

“With high-tide this evening, the ship was floated and moved to a nearby anchorage position where it will remain overnight,” Norwegian Cruise Line said on its Twitter feed, adding: “The ship will be thoroughly inspected in Bermuda by DNVGL, the ship’s classification society, before returning to Boston.

“The ship is fully operational with the full complement of onboard services available to guests,” the company said.

Norwegian Cruise Line, which is the world's third-largest cruise operator, said that 2,443 passengers and 1,059 crew members, who were traveling on a seven-night trip to Boston, were safe. It added that smaller boats were checking for damage on the ship. Tug boats, a Bermuda police boat and scuba divers could also be seen near the cruise preparing to investigate the ship below the waterline, Reuters reported.

An official from Bermuda's Rescue Coordination Center said, according to the Guardian, which cited the Associated Press (AP), that the ship had hit the reef near Bermuda's North Channel, but was currently in a stable position. Rachel Hansen, a passenger on the cruise, reportedly said that the ship was estimated to be three miles from Bermuda when it ran aground.

"We definitely felt it," Hansen from Londonderry, New Hampshire, told the AP, adding: "We were in the middle of eating dinner. ... There was a shudder for maybe 30 seconds to a minute and then there was a sudden stop.

"We had crew members running around in a panic, and we felt like we had to panic."

An action shot of the tug boat attempting to pull us to freedom, I can see it from my balcony in my cabin. pic.twitter.com/sVuiZy3APk